Compelling Irradiation Video
We received a letter dealing with irradiation, which we publish in today’s Pundit’s Mailbag. Take four minutes out of your life to watch an NBC video with dramatic footage of executives at Sadex Corp, including Harlan Clemmons, President of the company, eating salad after it has been contaminated with E. coli and then irradiated. Then […]
Texas Bed And Breakfast
By the way — Now that the immigration compromise is in shambles, if you want to go down close to the border and reflect on immigration policy while doing some world class birding, we recommend a stay at the Casà Santa Ana bed and breakfast. You can find the website here.
Pundit’s Mailbag —
Economics Of Irradiation
Our article, Thailand’s Mangosteen and Mango Exports Will Increase Irradiated Presence, brought this note questioning the financial viability of irradiation: I agree that the fresh-cut industry needs to consider Irradiation as a sterilization step. It’s proven and safe technology. What is missing in this equation is “How can this technology be made affordable?” Now do […]
Washington Public Policy Conference — Action Plan For Government Relations
If you are disappointed in the outcome of the immigration bill, are concerned with future food safety regulation, or just want to understand how our government and our industry government relations efforts work, make sure you mark your calendar to attend the Washington Public Policy Conference, sponsored annually by United Fresh. It is scheduled for […]
Feeding And Healing The World With GMOs
The USDA just updated its resource list on agricultural biotechnology — Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). We should all be up on this issue because the future is, ineluctably, one of GMOs. Yes, you will hear many objections, and GMOs are not allowed in organics, at least for now, but the advantages are so great that […]
Immigration Bill Doomed
Congressional Quarterly put it this way: IMMIGRATION BILL APPEARS DOOMED AS CLOTURE VOTE FAILS IN SENATE Comprehensive immigration legislation, President Bush’s top domestic priority this year, suffered a devastating blow in the Senate today that may prove to be the death knell for the bill in the 110th Congress. On a 46-53 vote, the Senate […]
Pundit’s Mailbag —
A Future Without Farm Labor
We’ve had several occasions to mention Billy Heller, CEO of Sunripe Produce. For example, it was a great exchange between Tom Holbert of Wal-Mart and Billy that led us to write a piece entitled, Wal-Mart Continues To Change Its Buying Practices, which kicked off a major discussion regarding Wal-Mart and its place in the produce […]
US Foodservice Faces Setback
As Sysco Continues To Dominate
When we announced that U.S. Foodservice was going to be sold to some high-flying financiers, it bode well for U.S. Foodservice. Now the leveraged buy out may wind up not being as leveraged as U.S. Foodservice was unable to sell the bonds it was planning to as part of its acquisition by Clayton, Dublier & […]
China’s Food Safety Issues
Plague Exports AND Imports
China has been top-of-mind lately in the U.S. produce industry, and we’ve been thinking hard on the subject with several important pieces: China Plays Down Food Safety Problems and Chinese Garlic and Food Safety both dealt with the implications of food safety problems in China for the broader industry. With Chinese Apples Pose Threat To […]
Thailand’s Mangosteen And Mango Exports Will Increase Irradiated Presence
When the Pundit ran a piece announcing the availability of mangos from India, we received numerous calls and letters looking for a source of supply. Now The New York Times published a piece pointing out that mangosteens and mangos will soon be available from Thailand: FRESH mangosteens and mangoes from Thailand will soon be available […]
